Beatrix Ruf, former Stedelijk Museum director, cleared of alleged conflicts of interest. Report commissioned by Amsterdam city council finds that she complied with Dutch regulations.

The city council’s 120-page report, compiled by the legal specialists Sjoerd Eisma and Jan Peeters, focussed on whether Ruf had complied with the Dutch cultural governance code. The authors argue that there is no reason to doubt Ruf’s integrity, although as a museum director she should not only have followed the wording of governance regulations, but also their “spirit”.

In a statement, Ruf thanked the researchers. “Contrary to stories in the press, the independent investigators concluded I always acted with integrity; all side activities were approved; and I never ran an art consulting business on the side,” she said. “But above all, I was touched most by their conclusion that I always put my heart and soul into the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam. Because I did.”